


The Only Way a Sister can Love

by Unfried_Mouth_Wheat



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Azula (Avatar) Redemption, Crazy Azula (Avatar), Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Hurt Zuko (Avatar), Other, Ozai (Avatar) Being a Terrible Parent, Ozai (Avatar) is an Asshole, Protective Azula (Avatar), Zuko's Scar (Avatar)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-07-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:53:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24857932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Unfried_Mouth_Wheat/pseuds/Unfried_Mouth_Wheat
Summary: Zuko won't get off the hook with just a scar this time
Relationships: Azula & Ozai (Avatar), Azula & Zuko (Avatar), Mai/Ty Lee (Avatar)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 153





	1. Ignite

**Author's Note:**

> Stolen from Tumblr  
> And yes, she does have the crazy azula hair

She had been slipping for a while now. Azula knew this just as well as anyone else who looked at her. Mai and Ty Lee's betrayal was the first part. She didn't know why they left her. Well, actually, that was a lie if ever she told one, and she told many lies. They had left a note. The reason they left her to rot was so that they could be together. As if she would condemn them for something as trivial as that. Her father would, naturally. It wasn't the order of the world, but Azula wasn't completely her father. Then there was Zuko.

Her big brother who always was weaker and never was truly the older of the two. She knew this imedeitly. From the way that Zuko cried and whined and screamed and pouted and acted like a nuisance overall. She always had to be the more mature of the two, the older one in a way. She had never seen her oh so infuriating Zuzu as her older brother. He was always the who would cry about his nightmares and need her to stay with him until he went to sleep again. Zuko was an annoying and traitorous brat. Her annoying and traitorous brat. Then finally, there was her father.

Ozai's love had been nothing but conditional, if she could even call it love. She was the prodigy, the one who made him proud. She was always going to be the next Fire Lord. That's all she cared about. Having that power and control. And that was what her father wanted from her. She still had friends and she and her brother had a fairly normal relationship. Her mother was passive of her. Dismissive, if you will. She didn't mind though. That was always the dynamic. Zuzu had mother, and she had father. But now it seemed like she didn't have anything or anyone. 

She was heading towards the true hide out. The eclipse was well over and passed. She had scared off those brats who thought they could take her. She was prepared to tell father the good news when she entered the room. Zuko was on the ground, screaming in agony as flames ripped and tore at his body. Burns already covered any skin that was visible. She knew that it was going to scar. Zuko was doing everything he could to shield his face. His blood was pooling around him. Her looked absolutely pathetic. When she tore her sight away from her brother, she saw Ozai. He was slightly disheveled, a small yet bleeding cut visible on his cheek. She saw the Dao blades that Zuko had often gone through great lengths to keep in perfect condition haphazardly thrown on the ground.

Soon, her father ceased his attack, walking over to Zuko before grabbing him the his neck. His voice was harsh and cold when he finally spoke.  
"Have you learned respect now, Zuko?" The way he said her brother's name felt like an insult. Zuko couldn't say anything, the grip on his throat becoming tighter. Instead, he spat a glob of salvia and blood at Ozai's face. Her father's rage grew as he through down her brother as if he were a rag doll. Zuko only let out a groan. Ozai came up to him again, his hands heated and ready to deliver the final blow.

Azula's body acted without her, grabbing the duel swords and running up before quite literally stabbing her father in the back. He let out a sharp hiss, trying to see who had done this. Azula forced the blades all the way through before twisting them. The sound of her own father's misery brought her joy for some reason she just couldn't quite place. She removed the blades before doing it again. When he tried to attack she separated the blades and with a quick swipe using all of her force, she cut off her father's hands.  
Ozai howled in agony and Azula was thriving. She pushed Ozai to the ground, stabbing him where ever she could. He was too weak to stop her now, and Azula relished that fact. She slowly brought up the blade and painstakingly started to cut off pieces of his face. He screamed at her cursed and dishonor, so in return she cut off his tongue and shoved it down his throat. After she made sure he was choking, she slit his throat as hard as she could, nearly decapitating him. Once that was done, she tore off his clothes, leaving his lifeless body with just enough to keep him covered, even though that was more dignity than he deserved.

She walked over to Zuko's quivering body. She dressed him in what she had removed from Ozai, hoping that it would help soak up the blood. When Zuko whimpered at the touch she ran her fingers through his singed hair.  
"Shhh, it's okay Zuzu." She could coo. "You're safe now. He can't hurt you anymore." She stayed like this until Zuko lost consciousness, which wasn't too long of a wait. She gingerly picked him up and carried him out of the hide out.


	2. Burn

She couldn't believe she was going to these prisoners for help. Her, the Fire Lord! Still, none of the pharmacists nor doctors could fully heal her precious Zuzu. That peasant girl could. 

As she descended into the cell block she couldn't help but notice the dreadful smell. Hopelessness and rot weren't a very flattering combination. It was the smell of the cowardly. She sneered. She knew she should have sent a servant or guard to go get the Water Tribe girl instead, but this was a matter that needed precision and power. She just knew it she had sent someone, the little serpent would slip out. She couldn't risk that, especially with poor Zuko in his state. She was honestly impressed that her elder brother had survived a full on assault form Ozai. There were two options to take away from this. Her disgraced sibling was stronger that she thought it her deceased father was weaker than she thought. She chose the latter. Zuko wasn't strong, and that was that.

The stopped, her metal toed boots clinking against the stone floor. She looked past the iron bars and glared at the strung up water bender. Pathetic. The girl, Katara was it, had bruises on her wrists and ankles from struggling against her shackles. She was bleeding from the mouth, probably trying to get some sort of liquid to escape. Obviously, it was no use.

"Have you thought my offer over?" Azula asked, keeping her voice sharp and cruel. She didn't have to try too hard for it to come out that way regardless. She had lost almost all softness from her voice years ago. What was left was only given to Zuko. The water bender just glared at her, as if she had any right to decline Azula's generous proposition.

She sighed. "Of course you'd be like that." She had to hold back from lighting this peasant ablaze. She was no good to Zuko dead, now was she? No, she wasn't.  
"How about this," she started. "You heal my dear brother, and I'll not only let you go, but your friends too. Even that pathetic excuse of an Avatar." That got the savages attention.

"You'll let Aang go?" She whispered out, her voice broken from screaming.  
"Yes, yes, and your brother and the little blind girl. You'd all be free to go. I'll even give you a weak to run and hide." Azula hissed. "Now doesn't that sound fair?" No, it didn't, but it was more than fair to Azula. The tribal girl seemed to finally be mulling it over. 

"I do have to tell you, that is more mercy than anyone else here would give you." She smirked. "And all you have to do is make sure Zuko lives." She emphasized that last part. Zuko had to come out of this ordeal alive. If not, she'd have to add more to the already growing piles of bodies in the cellar. She didn't want to worry Zuko with the unmistakable stench of death. 

"I'll heal him." The girl in blue finally decided, her voice sorrowful as she looked up at Azula, defeated. Azula smiled. "Excellent. I'll send for someone to come get you tomorrow morning. Try anything and I'll make sure you live long enough to see your precious friends burn." She chuckled before heading back up to the palace. She was a woman of her word when she wanted to be. As long as there was no funny business going on, she would send them off on their way.

A younger, more rational version of her would be disgusted by Azula's bartering, but she didn't have the same stakes at risk. Zuko was teetering on the edge of death, and she didn't kill their father just for him to die a few days later. Zuko had no right to just give up after everything she's done for him. Thankfully, she knew her brother wasn't the type to just give up. He muscled through everything, weather for better or for worse. He wasn't just going to let himself go. Even if he did pass, he'd do it kicking and screaming. That's what she hated yet loved about her brother.

He was so determined even when it was clear nothing was going to work out for him. He made everything worse by moving forward. She admired the sheer force it took to live like that, but it was nothing but trouble. Trouble that at this moment, she needed.

Azula made it back to the palace and imedeitly carved her way through the servants to get to Zuko's room. He had to be kept in the infirmary for the first few days, his screaming and crying heard throughout the whole palace. It was just yesterday that he was finally deemed stable enough to move to his room. 

She pushed open the doors silently, shutting them once she had made it inside. The room was hot, even for her standards. It was a common occurrence when fire benders became ill. It t was only natural that they try to burn out the sickness. Unfortunately for Zuko, this was an ailment he couldn't sweat out. If it had been, he would have been better after the first day. She made her way to the side of his bed before looking down at her pitiful brother.

Almost all of him was covered in bandages. The only exception was his head, and even then half of his face was covered. His hair had to be cut because of how much of it was burnt. Now it was too short to even put in a top knot. It was actually the same length it had been when he tried to fight her in that shell of a town. She ran her fingers through the still slightly singed locks. He gave out a small whimper, a clear sign that who even had been administering medicine was slacking off. She forced herself to look at her brothers lower half, already knowing what was there. Or, lack of what was there.

His legs had been cut off. They were too burnt to be saved and would only weaken him even more and even give way to a larger chance of infection. That was the last thing that Zuko needed, so she had to make the call. He was drugged heavily enough to not feel a thing but she couldn't keep the same dosage as it would have caused his heart to stop. He had been in more and more pain everyday. This was why she needed that filthy peasant. 

Azula hated to admit it, but she couldn't do this by herself. Medicine could only go so far, he needed a proper healer. She quickly scolded herself for sounding so desperate. She didn't need that peasant girl. She could go to the Northern Water Tribe and get an even better healer herself. Time was of the essence though, and she has much more power over Katara than she would have over some random healer. She had bribes, and those would ensure nothing would happen to Zuko.

"Don't worry, Zuzu. You'll be all better soon enough." She sighed, continuing to run her fingers through what was left of his hair.

"I promise."


End file.
